What's the best Dragon Ball has ever looked?

[Son-Kun!!]

It can be a certain episode, movie, or special. What, in your opinion, was the best (animation-wise) Dragon ball has ever looked?

My opinion?, The animation for Cha-La-Head-Cha-La and the first two movies.

[Gyt Kaliba]

Hmm...it's hard for me to say in regards to the anime, but for the manga, I'd definitely vote for that stretch of material starting with the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, and going through the Raditz fight. I realize that's a pretty small stretch and rules out the majority of the Saiyan arc (not that I dislike how the series looks there), but there's just something I've always, always liked about how that section looked.

[Son-Kun!!]

Hmm...it's hard for me to say in regards to the anime, but for the manga, I'd definitely vote for that stretch of material starting with the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, and going through the Raditz fight. I realize that's a pretty small stretch and rules out the majority of the Saiyan arc (not that I dislike how the series looks there), but there's just something I've always, always liked about how that section looked.

In manga regards I've only just started with the VIZ full colors, but It'll be hard to beat the sayain saga for me in terms of how great things looked there.

[SSJ3_Zack]

For me personally I really like how everything looked from the Saiyan arc to the Freeza arc. Not to mention the first two movies. I'm probably in the minority here but I also really liked the art style of Yo! Son Goku & His Friends Return.

[InfernalVegito]

I like everything but prefer the angular and fierce looking animation from the later part of the series. For instance the SSJ2 Son Goku vs. Kid Boo fight was amazing. And GT's vibrant colors are awesome too.

[Codarik]

The first 3 Z movies had some of the best animation I've ever seen in my life. So I say that's when it looked best.

[KentalSSJ6]

Animation wise, Budokai 2 and 3 intros.

Manga wise, gotta go with 23rd Budokai arc to Freeza.

[JulieYBM]

I would say Shida Naotoshi's cuts in Dragon Ball Z: Kami to Kami, One Piece Episode #590, and the entirety of the Ultimate Blast Opening were the best the animated projects have had. The fights in the 1984 comic's Twenty-Third Tenka'ichi Budoukai was the series' best. The later dialogue panels with Cell were some of the best when it came to merely dialogue scenes, though.

[Ajay]

I guess it's mostly down to which artstyle you prefer from the different points in the series. They've all looked beautiful and garbage at one point depending on the animator behind them.

I'm quite fond of the late Freeza sections and the early Cell stuff.





There's even stuff from the tail end of GT that's absolutely stunning.



I can't pick. Each artstyle compliments the era it was made in. I don't think there's a 100% best of all of them. The animation (referring to the fight choreography) varies just as much. I think you get some more modern stuff in the Boo arc, of course, but there's stuff from the Saiyan arc and Cell arc that equally rival it.

Impossible to answer.

[DarkPrince_92]

One of the best animations I've seen in DBZ was this by Naotoshi Shida, in a Last House Episode. Everything up until the 10:22 mark. http://youtu.be/0GLANQmNpJ4?t=9m55s

That episode where Vegeta fought Recoome. Looked great from start to finish. Looks wise, and pretty solid animation wise. When Studio Junio was good.



Badass.

Spoiler:

This image is as big as it is beautiful.

[xmysticgohanx]

I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here but I like the Yo Son Goku animation a lot. I would be happy if BoG 2-35 looked like that.

[BojGrass]

I always forget about movies 1-3, but they did have some pretty amazing animation. I'm the same as a lot of folks here. There's some stuff late in the Frieza arc that I love, same goes for Cell. There's some killer stuff in Buu as well. For some reason I always like the animation in Movie 13 as well. For some reason it had a different look to it than the rest of the show to me. Granted, Movie 13 has a special place in my nostalgic heart. It was the first exposure I had to the Japanese version of the film back in the VHS fansub days.

[samuraix123]

I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here but I like the Yo Son Goku animation a lot. I would be happy if BoG 2-35 looked like that.

You're definitely not. the animation was amazing in the Jump Special. It's hard for me to pick where it looked the best because I can pick bits and pieces here and there that I like a-lot.

[Vijay]

DBZ Movie 8, 10, 12 & 13 were the best beyond doubt.

In terms of pure visual-fest, Movie 12 easily tops. The whole scenario, atmosphere, modern look is beyond its time. Heck, I even compare recent best anime's to the movie, but nothing beats it.

[jjgp1112]

A lot of the King Piccolo-Namek saga stuff from Studio Junio is absolutely spectacular. Top-Notch artwork, interesting animation for fighting sequences, just the best you could ask for when it comes to Dragon Ball. Episodes 34 and 64 especially stand out. They kinda slipped during the Android saga, and while Shindo under Yamamuro Tadayoshi was excellent and picked up the slack, it wasn't quite as stylish and ambitious as Studio Junio's best work. That's just the Android saga, though. The Buu saga is a different story, as Shindo along with Studio Cockpit was the cream of the crop. Case in point.

[KentalSSJ6]

A lot of the King Piccolo-Namek saga stuff from Studio Junio is absolutely spectacular. Top-Notch artwork, interesting animation for fighting sequences, just the best you could ask for when it comes to Dragon Ball. Episodes 34 and 64 especially stand out. They kinda slipped during the Android saga, and while Shindo under Yamamuro Tadayoshi was excellent and picked up the slack, it wasn't quite as stylish and ambitious as Studio Junio's best work. That's just the Android saga, though. The Buu saga is a different story, as Shindo along with Studio Cockpit was the cream of the crop. Case in point.

Don't forget their work on the fight between Goku and Cell.

[Tzigi]

In manga: Buu saga.
In anime: the episode when Trunks arrives is the single best one. As a whole GT is wonderfully drawn (I love this kind of animation - especialy the stark contrast in the shading).

[TheGmGoken]

In manga: Buu saga.
In anime: the episode when Trunks arrives is the single best one. As a whole GT is wonderfully drawn (I love this kind of animation - especialy the stark contrast in the shading).

You like the way GT Cell was drawn?

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

I think GT had by far some of the best art in the entire series. I can't think of any specific episodes off-hand, but the fight with Baby on the Tuffle planet and the TV special had some fantastic stuff. Oh, and the OP/EDs as well. The quality of the animation plus the songs themselves, which are the best the series has had, make them the most memorable in the entire series.

[DragonBoxZTheMovies]

The last three movies before BOG:

Had a real cinematic quality to them, as they should. Fantastic stuff.

The Trunks and Bardock TV Specials were also really nice; that scene of Bardock and Freeza in space always sticks out in my mind.